Packing for a number of similar articles

ABSTRACT

A packing for a plurality of similar articles, for example eggs, comprises a plurality of compartments arranged in a row and destined each to receive one egg. The packing is made from a rectangular one-piece blank of card board or the like. The blank comprises parallel folding or scoring lines and partly cut out flaps and is so designed that no scrap is produced when preparing the blank and erecting the packing.

[ 1 Feb. 15, 1972 3,182,794 5/1965 3,291,365 12/1966 Koeme [54] PACKING FOR A NUMBER OF SIMILAR ARTICLES [72] Inventor:

fig Glaser kuschfikm' Zurich Swim" FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [73] Assignee: Migros-Genossenschafts-Bond 28956 8/1957 Zurich Fin1and....................................229/28 424,617 5/1967 Switzer1and....... ....229/28 Switzerland [22] Filed: July 28, 1970 Primary Examiner-Davis T. Moorhead AttorneyLittlepage, Quaintance, Wray & Aisenberg 211 App1.No.: 58,868

[ ABSTRACT.

A packing fora plurality of similar articles, for exam [30] Foreign Application Priority Data P gg comprises a plurality of compartments arranged in a row and h to receive one egg. The packing is made from a -piece blank of card board or the like. The

blank comprises parallel folding or scoring lines and partly cut flaps and is so designed that no scrap is produced when preparing the blank and erecting the packing.

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4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/ 1930 1,763,588 Johnson...................................229/28 PACKING FOR A NUMBER OF SIMILAR ARTICLES This invention relates to packings for a number of similar articles, comprising a plurality of compartments arranged in a row and destined each to receive one article, the packing being formed from a one-piece blank provided with a plurality of parallel folding lines and with cutting lines.

According to the invention the packing comprises an elongate, substantially rectangular bottom wall extending between two parallel folding lines, two upright sidewalls each connected to said bottom wall along one of said parallel folding lines, two opposite oblique inner walls each connected to one of said sidewalls and extending downwardly and inwardly from the upper edge of the sidewalls towards the middle portion of said bottom wall, each inner wall including an end section folded back to extend towards the sidewall carrying said inner wall, said end sections being provided with flaps extending beyond the folding edge of the end sections, the flaps of the end section of one of said opposite inner walls being displaced longitudinally of said bottom wall with respect to the flaps of the end section of the other inner wall, and the flaps of the end section of one of said inner walls being directed oppositely to the flaps of the end section of the other inner wall, each inner wall having a plurality of flaps cut out therefrom and adapted to be bent out of the plane of the inner wall, and each flap of said folded end section of one of the inner walls cooperating with one of said out out flaps of the opposite inner wall and being engaged between the free end of said cut out flap and the bottom wall ofthe package.

The invention will now be described by reference to a preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a packing for eggs,

FIG. 2 is an end view of the packing shown in FIG. 1,

F IG. 3 is a plan view of the blank used for forming the packing,

FIG. 4 is an end view of the packing shown during erection of the blank.

The packing for eggs represented in the drawings comprises a one-piece blank provided with folding and cutting lines (FIG. 3). The packing comprises an elongate rectangular bottom wall I which is formed by the central section of the blank extending between parallel folding lines 2 and 3. Two parallel upright sidewalls 4 and 5 are arranged along the two sides of the bottom wall, the sidewalls being connected to the bottom wall 1 along the folding lines 2 and 3, respectively. The upper edge of the sidewalls 4 and 5 is formed by folding lines 6 and 7, respectively of the blank. These folding lines form at the same time the upper edges of the packing. Each sidewall 4 and 5 is connected along its respective upper edge or folding line 6 or 7 with an oblique inner wall 8 and 9, respectively of the packing. The inner walls 8, 9 are downwardly and inwardly inclined and extend from the upper edges 6 and 7, respectively, towards the middle portion of the bottom wall 1. The inner walls 8 and 9 each comprise an end section 8a and 9a, respectively, which is bent over aboutfolding lines 14 and 15 and extends towards its respective sidewall 4 and 5, respectively. The end sections 8 and 9 are supported on the bottom wall 1.

The inner walls 8 and 9, as is visible from FIGS. 1 and 2, form a V-shaped, upwardly open, internal packing space in which are formed a certain number of compartments 10, for example six compartments in the embodiment shown, each being adapted to receive one egg. These compartments are uniformly spaced longitudinally of the package. For forming the compartments each inner wall 8 and 9 is provided with several partly cut out flaps l2 and 13, respectively, the

number of flaps in each inner wall corresponding to the number of compartments to be formed. The flaps l2 and 13 of both inner walls 8 and 9 are so arranged that each flap 12 of one inner wall 8 is opposite one flap 13 of the other inner wall 9. The flaps have the shape of an ellipse with truncated ends, the longitudinal axis of the ellipse extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of the inner wall. Each flap l2 and 13 is connected with its associated inner wall 8 or 9 only along a line 12a and 13a, respectively forming the upper truncated end of the ellipse, the connection of the flap with the inner wall being made at the upper portion of the inner wall. The lower truncated end of the ellipse is situated near the edges 14 and 15, respectively between the inner walls 8 and 9 and their folded end portions 8a and 9a, respectively. The lines 12a and 13a are formed as folding lines, so that the flaps 12 and 13 can be forced out of the plane of the associated inner walls 8 and 9, respectively. The individual compartments 10 are formed by forcing the flaps l2 and 13 out of the plane of the inner walls 12, 13 in the direction towards the corresponding sidewalls 4 and 5, respectively. The flaps l2 and 13, when forced out of the plane of the inner walls, extend from the folding lines 12a, 13a at the upper portion of the inner walls downwardly until near the bottom wall 1 and form the sidewalls of the individual compartments. 7

The folded sections 8a and 9a of both inner walls 8 and 9, respectively, are provided with three flaps l6 and 17, respectively which extend beyond the edges 14 and 15, The flaps 16 of the wall sections 8a are longitudinally displaced with respect to the flaps 17 of the wall sections 9a and extend oppositely to each other. They are integral with the respective wall sections 8a and 9a and are situated in the same plane with these wall sections.

As may be recognized from FIG. 3, the flaps l6 and 17 are cut out from the respective inner walls 8 and 9, and more particularly form the lower portion of a flap 12 and 13, respectively. When the end sections 8a and 9a of the inner walls are folded, the flaps 16 and 17 are turned out of the plane of the inner walls together with the end sections (FIG. 4). The flaps 16 of the folded section 8a extend through the lower portion of the opposite opening adjacent the edge 15 in the inner wall 9, this opening having been formed after forcing the flap 13 out of this wall, towards the sidewall 5; the flaps 16 are then supported on the bent over end section 9a and penetrate underneath the flap 12 of the inner wall 8. In similar manner the flaps 17 of the bent over end sections 9a extend towards the sidewall 4 and penetrate underneath the flap 12 of the inner wall 8 (FIG. 2). By cooperation of the flaps 16, 17 with the flaps l3 and 12, respectively, the packing is maintained in erected position, the flaps l6, l7, and accordingly the bent over wall sections 8a, 9a being pressed against the bottom wall 1 by the flaps l3 and 12, respectively and maintaining the sidewalls 4 and 5 by the intermediary of the inner walls 4 and 5 in their upright position.

In order to prevent collapsing of the sidewalls by the action of an external force two safety flaps l8 and 19 are provided. These latter are cut out from the sidewall 4 and may be bent over along a folding line which coincides with the upper edge 6 of the packing, towards the opposite sidewall 5. The safety flaps 18, 19 have their free ends formed with a bent over end section 20 and 21, respectively. In their position of closure, the safety flaps extend transversely above the top of the packing and their bent over end sections 20 and 21 engage into slits 22 and 23, respectively, provided in the upper edge 7 of the packing.

As already mentioned, the packing is formed from a onepiece blank. This blank, as shown in FIG. 3 is of rectangular shape and is subdivided by a plurality of parallel folding lines into a plurality of sections which each form one of the walls of the packing. Accordingly, the different sections of the blank are designated by the same reference numbers as the corresponding walls of the packing. Also the different folding lines and the portions of the blank destined to form the flaps and in part defined by cutting lines are provided with the same reference numbers as the corresponding edges and flaps of the packing.

For erecting the packing, first the sections 8 and 9 of the blank forming the inner walls are folded inwardly towards the central portion 1 thereof. Then the sections 8a and 9a are downwardly folded, whereby the flaps 16 and 17 integral therewith are bent out of the planes of the inner walls 8 and 9.

Subsequently the sections 4 and 5 forming the sidewalls are also folded towards the middle portion 1 and are thereby brought into upstanding position. In doing this, the bent over sections 8a and 9a are moved towards the bottom 1 until they rest on the bottom when the sidewalls are fully erected. The flaps l6, 17 then act against the flaps l3 and 12, respectively, and force them out of the plane of the inner walls 9 and 8, respectively towards the sidewalls 5 and 4 (FIG. 4). The flaps l6 and 17 eventually are pressed against the bottom 1 and arrive into their final position in which they are situated below the lower edges of the flaps 13 and 12, respectively. Subsequently the safety flaps 18 and 19 are folded out of the sidewall 4 and bent over towards the other sidewall 5, whereafter their end sections 20 and 21 are engaged into the slits 22 and 23 provided in the upper edge 7 of the sidewall 5. The erection of the packing is now finished.

It will be understood from the foregoing specification that the invention provides a simple package which can be'easily produced without requiring any complicated tools for making the blank or for erecting the package. 1

Since the blank is of rectangular shape and all flaps are formed by only partially cut out portions of the blank, no waste of material is produced.

The simple, prism-shaped packing enables the best possible utilization of space for shipping as well as for storage of the packingsv When the packing is made from stiff cardboard, the upper edges extending above the compartments for the goods to be packed, and the edges of the end faces offer a sufficient protection of the packed goods. The shape of the compactments is adapted to the shape of the goods to be packed, so that falling out of the goods from the compartments is prevented.

lclaim:

l. A packing for a number of similar articles, comprising a plurality of compartments arranged in a row and destined each to receive one of said articles, said packing being formed from a one piece blank provided with a plurality of parallel folding lines and with cutting lines, said packing further comprising an elongate, substantially rectangular bottom wall extending between two parallel folding lines, two upright sidewalls each connected to said bottom wall along one of said parallel folding lines, two opposite, oblique inner walls each connected to one of said sidewalls and extending downwardly and inwardly from the upper edge of the sidewalls towards the middle portion of said bottom wall, each inner wall including an end section folded back to extend towards the sidewall carrying said inner wall, said end sections being provided with flaps extending beyond the folding edge of the end sections, the flaps of the end section of one of the opposite inner walls being displaced longitudinally of said bottom wall with respect to the flaps of the end section of the other inner wall, and the flaps of the end section of one of said inner walls being directed oppositely to the flaps of the end section of the other inner wall, each inner wall having a flap cut out of the inner wall, and each flap of said folded end section of one of the inner walls cooperating with one of said cut out flaps of the opposite inner wall and being engaged between the free end of said cut out flap and the bottom wall of the package.

2. A packing according to claim 1, in which said flaps cut out from the inner walls are connected with the inner walls at the upper portion thereof and extend downwardly until close to the bottom wall.

3. A packing according to claim 1, in which the flaps of said folded end sections of the inner walls are integral with said end sections and situated in the plane of the end sections.

4. Packing according to claim 1, and comprising an additional safety flap for holding together the two sidewalls, said safety flap being cut out from one of the sidewalls and folded about a folding line coinciding with the upper edge of the packing and extending along the connection of said one sidewall with the associated inner wall, to extend across the upper open side of the packing and engage by a folded end section into a slit formed in the opposite upper edge of the packing. 

1. A packing for a number of similar articles, comprising a plurality of compartments arranged in a row and destined each to receive one of said articles, said packing being formed from a one piece blank provided with a plurality of parallel folding lines and with cutting lines, said packing further comprising an elongate, substantially rectangular bottom wall extending between two parallel folding lines, two upright sidewalls each connected to said bottom wall along one of said parallel folding lines, two opposite, oblique inner walls each connected to one of said sidewaLls and extending downwardly and inwardly from the upper edge of the sidewalls towards the middle portion of said bottom wall, each inner wall including an end section folded back to extend towards the sidewall carrying said inner wall, said end sections being provided with flaps extending beyond the folding edge of the end sections, the flaps of the end section of one of the opposite inner walls being displaced longitudinally of said bottom wall with respect to the flaps of the end section of the other inner wall, and the flaps of the end section of one of said inner walls being directed oppositely to the flaps of the end section of the other inner wall, each inner wall having a flap cut out of the inner wall, and each flap of said folded end section of one of the inner walls cooperating with one of said cut out flaps of the opposite inner wall and being engaged between the free end of said cut out flap and the bottom wall of the package.
 2. A packing according to claim 1, in which said flaps cut out from the inner walls are connected with the inner walls at the upper portion thereof and extend downwardly until close to the bottom wall.
 3. A packing according to claim 1, in which the flaps of said folded end sections of the inner walls are integral with said end sections and situated in the plane of the end sections.
 4. Packing according to claim 1, and comprising an additional safety flap for holding together the two sidewalls, said safety flap being cut out from one of the sidewalls and folded about a folding line coinciding with the upper edge of the packing and extending along the connection of said one sidewall with the associated inner wall, to extend across the upper open side of the packing and engage by a folded end section into a slit formed in the opposite upper edge of the packing. 